# Kate

/ˈkeɪt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/kate
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a person's name

noun · CEFR A1

a short form of the female name Katherine.

For teachers: a diminutive form of the female given name Katherine, frequently used as a formal name in its own right.

- My friend Kate is coming over for dinner this evening.
- Kate was named after her grandmother, though she prefers the shorter version to the more formal Katherine used on her birth certificate.

### 2. a type of bird

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Dialect

a local name in Kent, England, for a bird called a brambling.

For teachers: a regional dialectal term, specifically from Kent, referring to the brambling finch (Fringilla montifringilla).

- The old farmer pointed out a kate nesting in the hedge.
- While modern birdwatchers use standard nomenclature, some residents in rural Kent still refer to the brambling as a kate.

Usage: This term is highly localized and rarely understood outside of specific rural communities in South East England.

## Examples

- The old farmer called the magpie a Kate.
- While walking through the northern countryside, we heard the locals referring to the noisy jackdaws as Kates.
- The use of 'Kate' to describe a magpie is a surviving example of regional folk-taxonomies that assign human names to common garden birds.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.